Wool Insulation - Building Considerations

Building Considerations

Wool insulation commonly comes in rolls of batts or ropes with varied widths and thicknesses depending on the manufacturer. Generally, wool batts have thicknesses of 50 mm (2 in) to 100mm (4 in), with widths of 400 mm (16 in) and 600 mm (24 in), and lengths of 4000 mm (13 ft 4 in), 5000 mm (16 ft 8 in), 6000 mm (20 ft) and 7200 mm (24 ft). The widths of 16 in and 24 in are the standard measurements between studs in a stud frame wall. Most manufacturers provide custom sizes as well and batts and ropes are easy to cut once on site. Wool insulation can be used in the roof, walls and floors of any building type as long as there are spaces to put the insulation in. The construction costs when installing wool insulation are marginally lower due to having no need for protective gloves, this also makes installation slightly faster but unfortunately the purchase costs are several times higher than conventional alternatives. Installing wool insulation is very similar to installing conventional insulation batts, it can be held into place with staples or it can be friction-fit which involves cutting the insulation slightly bigger than the space it occupies, using friction to hold it in place.